thebirdofhermes

In vial: Brilliantly red oil. Not surprising. What is surprising is the delicately floral scent I'm getting. Delicate. Not something I would ever associate with dragons. Wet: A whole lot of... nothing, actually. I really can't smell much of anything. Which means I may regret deciding to slather a lot on here in a few minutes. Drying: Oh yeah, I'm gonna regret this. Very strong, sharp floral. Reminds me of Aries 2007, in a way... not surprising, considering this is one of the notes in that scent. However, it's a very strongly peppery scent, and a great deal lighter on the honeysuckle... and yes, there is honeysuckle in this. I can't quite tell you the other flowers, but I am very good at picking out the Lab's honeysuckle accord. There's a tinge to the scent that makes me think of jasmine, but I know it's not jasmine. Has the same nose-feel, though, if that makes any sense. A very heady, commanding sort of feel that compels you to smell it whether you want to or not. Dry: Ah, white floral. That would explain the initial nothing, because that's what white florals do on my skin. I should really know this by now, I think, to not slather something just because it's initially faint. There's still an edge of something spicy that kind of makes me want to sneeze. Otherwise, it's mostly faint honeysuckle and a bitter sort of resinous quality. I get a somewhat metallic impression between the bitterness and the white floral... to the point where it's leaving a taste in my mouth like I'd been sucking on a penny. I can... actually kind of see where one would get the name dragon's blood for this. Hnh. Not sure how to explain this, but I do get a bloody impression. Interesting. Perhaps just the power of suggestion, but...

In bottle: Mint mint mint mint lemon mint mint. ...Also a bit of an ozone tinge to it. Wet: LEMON! All lemon candy, all the time. Tonka seems to go candy-like on me. The lemon is keeping it to something I'd actually wear, though. Making me a bit hungry, however, because it's reminding me of these sour lemon drops I used to adore and can't remember who made them. There's something lingering at the edges of the scent... perhaps the mint and ozone? I'm not sure. Mostly lemon candy. Can't say I'll object if it stays this way, but I kind of want metal from this. Dry: You know the saying, "Be careful what you wish for?" Totally does not apply here. It's got an herbal-citrus-mint overtone to it, but mostly? Metal. The kind of metal that makes my teeth ache if I leave my arms too near my nose. There's a sharp clean feeling coming from the ozone, but mostly this is biting metal. It actually leaves a faint taste in my mouth after deep huffing of my arm. Let me tell you, this makes me inordinately happy. I love me some metal, which is part of why I broke down and ordered all seven alchemical phoenixes. I'm glad I did, because my original list was going to be Copper, Iron, and Quicksilver.

So, how is it that I just got a back-up bottle and still have not reviewed this? Okay, so. I first wanted this one because I thought the painting was gorgeous, and also because I loves me some white florals. So, when I found a bottle a bit ago, I snapped it up unsniffed. Good thing, too. It's not easy to find. In Bottle: Almost generically shampoo like. Slightly soapy floral, somewhat sweet. Wet: Sweet herbal scent. Likely the lavender talking, so far as that goes, but thankfully it's not strongly lavender, since lavender tends to make me want to vomit. Actually, it's distinctly lily-like, with an herbal grounding. I can also pick out an ozone note, which I presume to be the nighttime air... even if I really think it's ozone at this point. Hrm... Not much else I'm getting here, but the wet is not where the magic is anyhow. Dry: Soft, almost leathery amber. I'm vaguely put to mind of the resinous tone I found in The Traveller. Overlaid with a delicate powdery scent; I am put to mind of what one would think a fine lady's skin must smell like. Soft and feminine. I can easily pick out the honeysuckle in this blend. It's a sweetness that sits right on top of everything. Although I will say I could not name the sweetness at first; that didn't come until after I got my Honeysuckle SN... and discovered that I amp honeysuckle. So I don't know if anyone else would get that innocent, pretty honeysuckle overlay that I'm getting. Oh, and the ozone sharpness has faded to a fuzzy airy feel. So, there's that. Oddly, I keep finding myself reminded of wholly unrelated scents. How odd. I think it's the feel. It feels like a comfortable second skin. I don't know why I don't wear this more often. I do think it's a mostly accurate scent for the painting. Something strikes me as not quite it... but I can't place my finger on it. Ah well, not too important. It's still strikingly beautiful and haunting regardless. (I think it may just be the honeysuckle innocence talking.) Oh, this is one of the scents that I do not just dab on and let dry naturally. Most scents, I do. This one, I really don't enjoy the prior stages much, so I rub my wrists together like I'm trying to start a fire when I wear this. Gets it to that gorgeous drydown much faster. Even though the wet-stage lavender is subtle, smelling it for too long still makes me nauseous, so best to get that out of the way.

In Imp: Pale yellow oil. STRONG lavender. Very strong. ...For the record? I kind of hate lavender with the fiery passion of a thousand burning suns. Ugh. And this sounded so nice. Still. I must try it. Wet: Did I mention there was some strong lavender in this? Because there is. It's really. really. lavender. Oh dear Lord. I think my eyes are watering. There may be other notes. I do not doubt the presence of other notes. Except hello overpowering lavender. Maaaaybe I could see some rosewood around the edges, but this is pretty much the lavender show. All lavender, all the time. Can I wash this off? Dry: ....Okay, now. Hm. Warm, woodsy resin. Almost sweet, but not quite. Slightly cologne-like, in an expensive way. Very comfortable and perhaps more unisex to me than straight up bloke. And, hallelujah, no lavender. It has gone. It is an ex-note. It has passed to the choir invisible. THANK GOD. I grin because I can only smell the patchouli right up close, as something earthy-ashy against my skin. From a distance, all I can smell is the wood-resin throw. Very fitting. Alas, it doesn't seem to stick around well on me. ...More encouragement to just get the bottle, then, I suppose. EDIT: I have since acquired a very aged bottle of this. As in, cobalt bottle old. So, four or five years, I think? We'll go with four. The lavender in it has actually backed down with age. Oh, it's still a predominantly lavender scent in the bottle and wet, but it's not acrid lavender. It's actually almost pleasant and soothing. Huh. I may like aged lavender. (Well... I do prefer four to five year old Lurid to fresh...) Oh, and it lasts a good deal longer now. Woot.

I would also have to suggest Rivet.Goth. It's actually the scent I have for my mechanic lass I RP sometimes. It's very much like walking into a mechanic's shop. However, if you want something more readily available, I would also suggest looking into Galvanic Goggles. At least on me, it's more of a thin, oily metallic scent than anything else.

Boot leather, pipe tobacco, and the dust of soft resins, herbs, and soil-flecked gravel picked on long, solitary travels. In Bottle: Smooth, sweet, almost aquatic leather. Very soft and, dare I say, pretty. Wet: Very similar to the bottle scent, although the sweetness makes me think of the resin I have for my violon bow. It comes in a huge, dark cake, and smells like honey and bitter herbs. The gravel is coming across very similar to the stone note I get out of Inganok Jewelers; harsh at first. I expect it will settle down some. The leather is currently quite fresh, but very sturdy and solid. I can't say I'm getting any specific visuals just yet, but I will say that it's a lot prettier than I expected. Dry: Soft, worn leather boots. Sticky resin from a long time traveling in the summer's heat. Slightly dusty. And very pretty. I'm not getting the fellow from the poem and description; a wanderer musing on government and politics. No, this is a traveling lass, with her fiddle on her back, setting out to travel the world and brighten it with music along the way. She's got a lot of road ahead of her, and a lot of road behind her, but she's still bright and happy and ready to go. Not at all careworn, not yet weary of the world and it's troubles. I can't think of anything else to say but this: Absolutely gorgeous.

So, having received one of my two bottles today... In Bottle: Slightly metallic and a little sweet, like the inside of a mechanic's shop. Not bad, so far, and nothing I feel leery about putting on my skin. (Especially since I already know the leather note in this is the one that will work on me.) Wet: Mostly fresh, clean, new leather. Not quite so supple as jacket leather. Boot leather... or the leather they use on the interior of cars that aren't super high end. It's a tougher sort of leather. Could possibly be the stiff leather used for a thick apron or an older military type leather coat. The kind of leather that could be soft, if you handled it and oiled and polished it often, but for now is quite sturdy and stiff. There's still a slightly metallic undertone to it, but it's mostly about that leather note. Which, you know, if it weren't for the fact that it was a bit tricky getting two bottles of this for what I would consider a decent price, I wouldn't mind if it stayed just the leather note. Also, it's keeping really faint and close to my skin... but I am not applying more, since the last time I applied more when I couldn't smell something on my skin, I ended up having a 12 hour long cloud of FOOM surrounding me. Dry: And how did I know it was going to start throwing like crazy? Heh. I take back what I said about new leather. Now that it's dried and strengthened, it's taken on a much older character. Less of that old style military issue leather coat when it was new; now it's that same coat about 50 years later, having seen much use and abuse at the hands of many owners. The sort of coat I would love to own and burrow down into. It smells warm to me, as in, if I sniff along my arm, there's a noticeably warmer spot when my nose is right over where I applied this oil. Getting somewhat closer, I can smell the sweet metal of a mechanic's shop... and also, it smells remarkably like my car does when it's been just cleaned out and I have the heat on, albeit without the saffron. (Yah, for whatever reason, when I have the heat on in my car, it smells like I spilled a bottle of saffron in there. I don't get it, but people who've been in my car who know the scent of saffron agree.) There's a soft musk to it; harsher than the skin and brown musks I prefer, but it's not at all the rawness of red or the depth of black on me. It's definitely a gritty one. Finally, there is, up close and personal, the deep tang of rusted iron in the back of my nose. Vaguely reminiscent of the blood accord... which makes sense, considering iron is a major component of both blood and rust. It's throwing mostly the old, soft leather... but then, I only have a tiny dab of it on for testing purposes. I imagine if I had enough on for what I would consider a wear, then I would be getting the other notes in the throw. All in all, it's very nice. Not quite sexy mpfh, but more comfortable and wearable. A definite keeper. Oddly, I am not getting any tobacco. I would know tobacco when I smell it, too, considering I much enjoy a good cigar. Perhaps a bit of smokiness around the edges, but it's not making me think of tobacco. Just adds to that overall mechanic feel.

In Vial: Dark orangish brown oil. Very strongly vetiver and black musk, to the point where it almost smells like pure smoke and circus peanuts to my nose. (And by circus peanuts, I mean those awful squooshy "candies" that look good and smell tempting, but taste and feel like trying to eat a chunk of foam.) Wet: I may die from the vetiver. My tombstone shall say, "She shuffled off her mortal coil at the hand of vetiver." Strong vetiver is strong, and apparently making my spell-check freak out to boot. So I'll try and find a different note to talk about, although if this doesn't dry and hopefully morph soon, I may not have much to talk about. Dry: Huh. Slightly sweet and almost creamy. A hint of something that reminds me of cumin. (That would be the ajowan, I believe.) Still very much a vetiver and black musk blend, with a suggestion of oppoponax on my skin. However, it is quite wearable and I do very much like this. If it weren't discontinued, I think I would at least purchase another imp, if not a bottle. Alas, it is discontinued, and while I do like it... there are people around who love it, so I don't think I'll be seeking any more out from sales pages. Very nice, though. Definitely a strong, dark blend.

Ah, if it smells like orange blossom to you, then you likely will not get orange from it. Most people seem to smell orange blossom as either a floral or as an orange. I've personally never gotten orange from orange blossom, whereas my mother does. (Which leads to great and mighty contention over the scent of certain things, let me tell ya. ) After all, note how the person you're quoting didn't say anything about orange or orange blossom for their imp. Just patchouli, musk, and vanilla. Then their bottle arrives, heavier on the orange blossom, and they said it smelled like creamsicles. I can almost guarantee you that you will be fine. Unless, y'know, the bottle shows up with a lighter orange blossom note, so all you get is patchouli and vanilla. Then you'll probably be (Disclaimer: I've never tried Ravenous, but I have tried Hunger, and that's another one that seems to be split between vanilla/floral and orange creamsicle. I don't get creamsicle from the latter. It's just vanilla and floral on me. So. There's my best guess as to what's going on.)

You too? I absolutely could not figure out what made Scherezade smell so nice on me, since up until that point I assumed red musk was bad since every other red musk scent went all sorts of wonky awful on me. I assumed it was the saffron (which is actually one of my favourite notes and always a winner on me). Then I got Smut and it reminded me so much of a sweet Scherezade that I had the, "Oh DUH" moment of it being red musk. Back on topic. Vega: my advice would be to get a bunch of scents with the same note. Preferably ones with less notes, since the more notes, the more the scent will change. Some notes will just jump out at you after just one or two scents tested. I actually first picked out the Lab's currant in Lurid, which is mostly ozone and sweet currant on my skin. Others may take some time to get to that aha! moment. Like, it took a lot of different scents to figure out that juniper tends to go bad on me... as does orchid. For florals, I'd look into anything with a flower name. Hairy Toad Lily is very true to the scent of lilies, if perhaps a touch sweet. Shadow Witch Orchid is how I figured out that orchids just don't work for me. And trying a lot of scents with rose listed is how I figured out I can't smell the rose note, in general.

So far as swizzle sticks or toothpicks, what you'd do is use a clean one for each application. It's not going to be perfectly sterile, of course, but you won't generally be introducing much more than normal environmental bacteria to the bottle... which will be introduced every time you open the bottle or decant from it anyways. Wand caps... the one bottle I have with a wand cap, I tap a drop off the tip of the wand and onto my skin. Mind you, this is a very aged oil that is quite potent on me with two drops. As far as how to slather with one, you would probably need to wipe the wand against your skin. Obviously you probably don't want to do this with a bottle you're not sure you want to keep... but if there isn't a snowball's chance in Hawai'i that you're getting rid of the bottle, then there isn't really much to be concerned about re: introducing skin oils and such. Especially since you say you go through bottles very quickly. The ONLY thing I'd be concerned about is lotion, as certain lotions will ruin your perfumes rapidly. Skin oil? Not so much. Although... again, I can drip oil off of a wand and onto my skin without touching wand to skin. It just takes a bit of patience and ::taptaptaptaptaptaptaptapGETONMYSKINtaptaptap::

In Bottle: Deep golden oil. Strongly cedar spice, almost enough to make me sneeze. Also, a hint of something ozone like. Wet: Goes very faint and almost watery saffron with little else to back it up. Maybe a hint of woodiness from the cedar, but there's not much going on. Now, if it weren't for the fact that I've worn this a lot before reviewing it, I would be expressing disappointment and debating just washing it off at this point. Thankfully, I was rather determined to like Aatos Polemoio from first look at the name, meaning, and notes, so even the first time I left it on and just waited. It's a very good thing I did. Dry: Strengthens considerably on the drydown, and gains some very nice throw, to the point where moving my arms is enough to send little breaths of scent to my nose. The cedar does intensify, making the saffron a drier spice... but the currant also finally peeks out to come and play, lending a gentle, just this side of fruity sweetness to the blend that keeps it from being too dry and pencil-like on me. Which was my main concern with this blend, since my skin loves to amp cedar. I just didn't know until recently that my skin loves currants and saffron even more. If I had, I would have skipped the decant! It's quite masculine in character on my skin; probably since the dominant theme seems to be a woody spice. Oh, and this one lasts for hours on me. And I do mean hours. I applied some at around 1700 yesterday, and could still smell it when I finally fell asleep close to 0500 this morning. Wasn't throwing at all by that point, but it was still quite present when I had my wrists near my face.

Bottle: All juicy apple with a hint of mulling spices. Rather like a nice frosted mug of apple cider. Smells very drinkable. Wet: More juicy apple, but the spices are a fair bit stronger now. Still very much a spiced apple cider type of scent. I don't think it's quite red apple... definitely seems to be a different sort of scent than the Red McIntosh apple I was expecting. Perhaps a different variety, then. Definitely not a green variety, though. Too sweet and not tart enough for that. Dry: The apple is all gone! Oh no! Well, wait... it might be sitting in the background behind everything else, since there's still something suggesting apple to me. Perhaps not a bitten into apple, but rather a crate of fresh picked apples... lightly apple-y, but somewhat waxy too because the skins are intact. The sage, green tea leaf, and bamboo are making for a green tinge to the earthiness of the wheat and sorghum, although again it is a suggestion of that than any distinct note. No, the distinct part now is the hazelnut and hickory, making a nutty woody dominance. There's the hint of something spicy still, though I can't quite put my finger on it. It's almost more of a room scent than a body scent... but backs off before crossing that line. I do wish the other fruity notes would come out and play, but I am keeping in mind that this scent is nearing four years old and that fruit notes do tend to be the first ones to go. It is quite good, I will give it that... but it's also not one I see myself wearing much of right now. It really feels more like autumn to me. (Which, in a way, is odd for me to say, as I don't generally perceive scents as being so specific to a season that I don't want to wear them at any other time... even if they were crafted with a particular season in mind.) In a way, it reminds me of Summer's Last Will and Testament, although more that, if Summer's Last Will is early autumn, then this is later on, after the summer's heat is little more than a memory. Not as dusky warm a scent; while there is a warmth to it, it's more the warmth of a fire staving off the chill of encroaching winter. The more I let it sit, the more the interplay of the notes change. In the time it took me to type up this review, the sugar cane came out and began to sweeten things up a little. The apple seems to be peeking out a bit more, but it's still quite hidden. On me, at the least, Harvest Moon is quite the morpher. Still not sure I like him for spring/summer wear, but I predict he'll get a lot of use come autumn.

Woohoo! This came today! Not going to do my usual bottle/wet/dry format as I can't recall the wet stage and don't want to apply more since I'll be showering soon... anyhow. Bottle: Weird, really. Smells quite cool and slightly metallic. Definitely a scent that chills the nose a bit. Dry: Okay, I do see how one could get leather out of this, but it's not leathery at all to me. Something slightly smoky incensy is going on in the background; not sure what sort of incense since I really don't burn much beyond frankincense, myrrh, or some mixture thereof... but it is a pleasant smokiness, so I do think it's an incense sort of note. Past that, it's like picking up a warm river stone and sniffing it. Also vaguely reminds me of how my silver jewelry tends to smell after being worn for a while... specifically, it really reminds me of my long since lost class ring. Light sniffing reveals a note that makes me think either orris or violet, although I am inclined to say orris since it's a creamy-smooth sort of scent, whereas violet tends to be sharper on me. That aspect definitely puts me to thinking of Silver Phoenix. Otherwise, I'm not picking up overly much in the way of metal scent, which would be vaguely disappointing if the overall scent weren't pretty darn awesome to me. I would like to note that sniffing this does send a very metallic tinge to the back of my throat and leads to the taste of coins in my mouth, so there's definitely a very accurate metal note. Very unusual, and yet very wearable to me. I am quite glad that I ordered this bottle unsniffed.

Xmvltzencab is "shmwul-TSAYN-cah", to the best of my recollection. Cnoc I'Chosgair... and my Irish Gaelic is quite rusty, but I know the original poem the name is from, and in the original Gaelic it's "Chnuic Í Chosgair". So, you'd be correct saying it either "kuh-NOHK ee CHOHS-gah-eer" (ch would be the aspirated ch like in loch), or "chuh-NWIHK ee CHOHS-gah-eer". Why yes, I am a repository of obscure linguistic knowledge. ::pats stack of language books proudly:: (That said, I am more certain of correctness on Xmvltzencab than I am on Cnoc I'Chosgair, simply because I can't recall how to pronounce the dipthong ai, so I'm assuming it's like most of the ones involving two short vowels where the first vowel is pronounced short and the second long. It could very well also be "gah-ihr", with both short... but the one I gave above sounds better to me and is easier to pronounce.)

It's Greek, so my best guess is lah-dohn. (Not sure which syllable to stress, though.)

In Bottle: Sweet honeyed plum with a hint of cherry. Mmm... Wet: ....Sweet tea and bubblegum? How strange. I do rather like it but it is, indeed, strange. Hnh. Nothing more detailed here, so let's wait til it's dry. Dry: Early drydown is prominently rose. Yes. Rose. I can smell the rose! This likely means I stink of rose, but I care not for I can smell beautiful, lovely, fresh roses. Just as though I had snipped a bloom from one of our rosebushes. Rose... Of course, now that it's been a bit, the rose has fallen back to let the honey and cherry and plum come out to play a bit. Throw is pretty decent. Mostly get the rose from a distance, but closer in is the deep, juicy sweetness of the fruits. Thankfully I detect no carnation, as strong carnation makes me quite nauseous. No fig, either, but that's fine. I quite like what it's doing now. Very well balanced now, of course. I seem to be getting equal parts rose and fruit, all brought together by I think the fig, since there's just a hint of something smooth around the edges that makes me think of something fresh and squishy... like a fresh fig!

Okay, I would like to note now that vanilla tends to sour on my skin. So I tried the tester I was generously frimped with great trepidation. In Vial: Orange coloured oil. Sweet and creamy orange scent. Could be good. Okay, on the skin it goes. Wet: Still a creamy scent, but the orange blossom is taking a back seat to the rapidly amping amber. There's something a bit odd about the amber; I think it may be the kind that goes off on me. Dry: And it's gone very sour and ick. Not at all surprised, really. Also, aside from the vanilla, it is the bad kind of amber, the kind that turns to flat cola on my skin. (Likely the same amber that goes off in The Lion.) And I'm certain it's not an age issue, as I have similarly aged amber blends that don't do that. There's a breath of my beloved orange blossom hiding in the background, but mostly it's the combined badness of vanilla, the wrong amber, and my skin chemistry. Win for those of you who love this, as you'll have one less competitor. I wish it had stayed like it was in the vial, or even wet. Shame.

Depends on the scent. I don't wrist smash really light ones (more of a light patting of wrists together), because I feel it makes the really delicate notes burn off faster... but it doesn't destroy the scent. Just makes it fade a bit faster. That said, I am impatient and want my oil dry NOW dangit. (And the delicate notes fading faster thing may be all in my head.) It certainly can't damage the scent; that's ridiculous. The heat will just send more scent molecules floating up to your nose. So it might make your scent stronger at first. As far as rolling v shaking, I roll. Just because it's a very soothing motion to me. And also because I am Le Butterfingers, and shaking a bottle will result in said bottle going flying. That said, if it's still not entirely mixed? That's what I keep the stir rods around for. (I dare anyone to tell me that stirring a fragrance will damage it.) Again, though, that's more because I have no ability to keep a tight hold on things. The sheer number of times I've had a (thankfully closed) bottle of something go rolling off somewhere... and it's never the bottles I can easily acquire more of. No. It's bottles like Bakeneko or Eris. That said, I kind of want to perform an experiment on the matter now...........

First, let it be known that I only purchased a bottle of Copper Phoenix in the interests of a complete set of bottles. Because I'm like that. I did not particularly think this would work for me. Disclaimer out of the way... Rose-infused dark amber, with sweet orange, honey, cardamom, patchouli, apricot, pink pepper, and red sandalwood. In bottle: Brassy coloured oil. (Consider me vaguely disappointed. ) Very orange-y apricot-y sweet. Huh. Not bad... Wet: Still somewhat fruity, but the fruitiness is undercut by something slightly spicy (most likely the cardamom, it's not peppery) and just a touch of amber. It's worth noting here that I can smell something rose-like. Not complaining; I've always wanted to smell rose from a blend with that listed. It's a nice rose note, but very subtle. Although I'd keep in mind, if I were you, that I cannot smell rose typically, even when everyone else can smell it from across the house. Dry: Slightly powdery and just this side of not dryer sheets (thank you patchouli for your rousing interpretation of Eau d'Bounce). The sandalwood has gained some prominence, making this even dryer a scent. Now, if I stop trying to pick things apart, I can safely say that it smells like copper. Like that smell you get on your hands from holding a bunch of pennies. Too much sniffing and I can even taste it in my mouth a bit. So I'd say it's a very accurate interpretation of what copper smells like. It actually kind of works on me. Not something I can see myself reaching for a lot, but it's not what I was expecting.

Okay, it's worth noting that I sold/swapped my two bottles of this, so all I have is a quarter decant to review. I don't need to open it again to review, though, because all I can say is this: It smells exactly like Lush Potion Lotion to my nose. In vial, wet, and dry. Just. Like. It. I ordered the two bottles thinking it would be love, because Potion was amazing and I had heard awesome things about Hod Res smelling just like it. I tragically overdosed on said lotion at the end of January. We're talking I was nauseous from the scent and nearly threw up level of overdose. I think we can all see why my two bottles had to go. (But it really does smell exactly the same, for people who want layering options!)

Just in case anyone else was looking, I find that Night-Gaunt is very similar to Estee Lauder's Beautiful Sheer. Well, on my skin, at least. I keep sniffing and thinking I used the latter, but nope. It's Night-Gaunt. I don't quite know why it's doing that, since the notes aren't similar at all. Beautiful Sheer: Nashi Pear, Michellia Fogii (magnolia), Ginger Lily, Linden Blossom, Mimosa, Pittosporum Leaf, Padouk Wood, Boxwood Night-Gaunt: Yuzu, White Grapefruit, Kumquat, Snow, Flowers

In bottle: Sour milk. Um. I am now quite concerned about skin testing this. Ah well, scents morph. Wet: OH YE GADS THAT'S AWFUL. Sour, curdled milk and not much else. Must... persevere... Dry: ...Oh... hey... that's really not so bad. I never really do get the blackberries, although I suspect they're providing the tartness in the background. It's still creamy and milky, but more like fresh cream. No more curdled smell. The wax is coming out a bit, and indeed smells like a freshly lit candle. (I really cannot explain that one further. Just go light an unscented candle and inhale right away. It's heated wax before it starts to melt.) There's ozone just dancing around the edges, teasing, a chill trying to encroach on the warmth of the candle. Something vaguely woodsy, although that may be my mind reaching for things since there was mention of the Quickening Tree and my mind takes anything involving trees of any sort straight to wood. It's not wood, though, not in the sense of a piece of lumber. More the idea of an actual forest. If I get really close to my wrist, I get the snow in the form of just beginning to melt slush. This is very complex and interesting. I don't know if I need the back-up yet, although I will hold onto it for the time being. I can't say I'm overly fond of the wet phase. Oh, and now that I've gone a-hunting for the snow note, it's coming to me in the occasional waft without having to press my nose to my wrist. Awesome. I did slather this one to test, which was rather odd for me since I usually test quite sparingly for fear of migraine, but I think that it was probably for the best. I don't know I would get quite the range of scent I did otherwise. EDIT TO ADD: And now it's pretty much all some sort of musk. One of the lighter ones, but neither skin nor brown, and I don't think it's white because my skin pretty much eats white for dinner. Vaguely reminds me of the musks from Evening Cicadas and Red Peppers. Bit of ozone around the edges. Not bad, but I wish the wax stuck around longer. Very quick fade to this; I applied it at around 1500 and noticed everything else had burned off around 1800. I may not need the back-up after all. It's very nice earlier in the drydown, but I don't need that much of a scent that can't even stick around for three hours.

In bottle: Soapy sort of spice. I won't quite go into the details of this, as I don't want to cast any negative scent associations on this for anyone, but the bottle scent is very much a soapy spice. Wet: Cinnamon and cardamom come to the forefront. Together, they make much more of a cinnamon stick sort of scent than a powdered cinnamon scent. There's something that could be a mug of hot tea sitting in the background... Constant Comment, to be precise. Oddly, no amber or musk to be found. I expect that will change. Thus far, it's sitting rather close to my skin; throwing perhaps three inches, but any further, and I can't quite detect it. Dry: The spice rounds out a bit, going more towards the powdered side of cinnamon. There's still that mug of tea just off to the side of things, although it's less Constant Comment and more just plain, ordinary orange pekoe. Not surprisingly, the musk has come out to play, although it's a softly animalistic one. Very similar to the brown musk note I love, although, obviously, more golden. It's also slightly powdery but the powder seems more attached to the cinnamon note, while the soft, resinous aspects of amber stay with the musk. It's worth noting that the musk has the strongest throw, then the cinnamon, so from a distance, I'm mostly smelling snuggly warm musk with a hint of spice tacked onto the end. No citrus to be found, but between the age of the oil (three years old, this month) and the fact that my skin tends to amp musk and amber, I'm not at all surprised. I also cannot detect any cherry blossom, but again, I amp musk and amber, and cherry blossom tends to be a soft scent. It may still be there; I don't know. I pounced on a bottle of this after seeing a lot of raves for it, and being unable to find a decant for sale anywhere. Is it something that I would have bought a bottle of had I tried a decant? No. It's definitely not one of the most thrilling scents I've ever sniffed. It would be a good snuggly scent... except I already have some snuggly scents, and this just doesn't compare to them. And yet... every time I think of listing my bottle for sale or swap, I find myself holding back. Not because of how much I paid (in all honesty, I got quite the deal on it). There's just a certain je ne sais quoi about Bakeneko that makes me think I'll be holding onto this for a bit. I may yet end up passing him on, but for now? He stays.

Shocking, horrific, fierce, savage, sensationalized, luminous and hazy: black currant, Bulgarian lavender and white musk with a dollop of thick resin and a voltaic charge of ozone notes. In bottle: Lemon herbal. Candylike. Sweet, definitely sweet. Which is rather odd, given the notes. I was not expecting something to remind me of the scent of fresh lemon drops. I was expecting something a bit harsher. Wet: Ah, very herbally. Somewhat soothing at first, but the soothing feeling goes away when the ozone strikes. Oh yeah, definitely ozone there. There is fruit hiding beneath all this; shyly peeking out and going, "Oh, hey, I'm here. Just so you know." Right now, mostly lavender and ozone. Whatever the ozone note is, it's very lemony to me. That could also be from the white musk, but I'm thinking it's the ozone since white musk has yet to develop effervescent qualities on my skin. Also, whooo are my sinuses feeling clearer. Definitely a chilly scent to inhale. Dry: Okay, it seems to be that the ozone and lavender have the strongest throw of the notes. Which is quite fine, as neither are overpowering or make me feel headachey. Sometimes the currant likes to tag along, but all I'm really catching of that note unless I put my nose right against where I tried the oil is a vague fruity sweetness that reminds me somewhat of Candy Phoenix. The musk never develops much beyond a close, skin hugging warmth, which is a strange sort of contrast to the chill from the ozone. Then again, the herbal, almost bitter lavender is an interesting contrast to the sweetness of the currants. I admit that to my nose, sometimes this goes slightly industrial cleanser... but I have a very odd fondness for the smell of cleaning solutions, so this is not a complaint from me. However, I would caution those sensitive to such smells to find something else, especially if their skin likes to amp ozone and lavender. I'd have more to say, but my brother decided now was an excellent time to make spicy noodles, so now that's all I can smell. (Well, that and the occasional hit of Lurid, but mostly the spices from the noodles. ) Edited to add scent description... and fix it when I discovered there were special tags for it.